Noir Hero
by Prinzessin
Summary: A collection of stories centered around Cyrus Lupo. These are based on prompts from a LJ community. Different ratings, different L&O characters, all with/about Lupes.
1. The Elephant

**TITLE:** The Elephant  
**PROMPT:** 093. Duty  
**RATING:** T  
**WORD COUNT: **544  
**SUMMARY:** Lupo didn't forget what Cutter had said, but it didn't mean he wouldn't save the guy's life.  
**WARNINGS:** None.  
**NOTES:** Spoilers for 19x09 "By Perjury"  
**DISCLAIMER:** Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.

Nobody got in Lupo's way as the taller detective angrily strode out of the DA's office. He kept going until he was well clear of the building, the dressing down by the EADA in his head like a broken record.

_…don't try to play lawyer. You're not that good._

"Bastard," Lupo muttered, then stopped short.

Turning quick, he came face-to-face with his partner. Bernard's eyebrows were raised, but he said nothing. But when Lupo tried to step around him and head back into the building…

"Not gonna happen, Lupes. We're gonna go see what we can do," Bernard said, a hand on Lupo's chest.

Lupo shook his head, but turned around anyway. "He couldn't even look me in the eye when he said it."

"That should tell you something right there."

Lupo snorted, then asked, "Yeah, like what? Cutter isn't a coward, so it wasn't that."

"How did you get to be a detective?" Bernard muttered with a roll of the eyes.

On the way back to the station, neither said a word about the incident. Bernard knew his partner well enough to realize that Lupo needed to think it through himself. And Lupo wasn't about to share with Bernard just how betrayed he felt when Cutter made the lawyer remark.

The four didn't meet again until the Grievance Committee meeting. The detectives sat in the back row, with Rubirosa between Cutter and Lupo. Winston wasn't getting away with the Cruz murder, and there was an air of satisfaction when the dirty lawyer was taken off the PanWorld case.

Though there was still that elephant in the room, no one could tell with those four. So after the hearing, when Winston was found to be waiting outside, Lupo and Bernard didn't like it. While Rubirosa went downstairs, and Cutter headed to the men's' room with Winston steps behind, the detectives decided to follow. Especially given the lawyer's dirty habit of killing people who got in his way.

Turning the corner, Lupo's brain went into overdrive.

"Look at how he's walking…" he said, just before he broke out into a run with his partner right behind.

There were no shouts of warning as the detectives slammed the door open. Lupo's hand on Winston's arm forcing the shot away from Cutter- that split second act saved a life. A quick shot, the sound of porcelain shattering and some shouting had nothing on the sound of Mike Cutter's heartbeat in his ears.

"Thank you," he stuttered, his eyes wide in the aftermath of fear and still in disbelief. Despite that, he made eye contact, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Sure," Lupo replied, seeing that Bernard was getting the cuffs on Winston. And once Winston was secured, Lupo added to shocked EADA, "Let's get you out of here."

The elephant followed the detectives, Cutter and a handcuffed Winston down into the lobby were a pair of uniforms were waiting to take the lawyer to booking.

There was no time to talk, between statements and heading home. So Cutter never got his chance to talk to Lupo, and Lupo never got his chance to tell Cutter that even though he thought he was a bastard, he still grudgingly respected him and wasn't about to let anything happen to him.


	2. Showing the Elephant Out

TITLE: Showing the Elephant Out  
PROMPT: 081. Risk  
RATING: T (a bit o' bad language)  
WORD COUNT: 1318  
SUMMARY: Post 19x09 "By Perjury" with a minor reference to "Strike". "You know, I was a bastard that day." "Oh yeah? I hadn't noticed." Mike gets his chance to set things right with Lupo. Mike Cutter's POV.  
WARNINGS: none.  
NOTES: Spoilers for 19x09 "By Perjury.  
DISCLAIMER: Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.

"Sooner is better than later," Jack said, suddenly appearing in the doorway to Mike's office.

Mike looked up from the paperwork he'd been reading. Or pretending to read, anyway. He watched Jack take a step into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"What?" Mike finally asked, trying to think of what Jack could mean.

"During the strike, you reminded Connie that she would have to work with the detectives again. Well, I'm reminding you. They may have saved your ass, but it doesn't change that things are… less than cordial between you and them, especially between you and Detective Lupo."

Mike only nodded, Jack wasn't telling him anything new. "So how do I fix it?"

Jack shrugged. "Besides talking to him, don't ask me. I don't know what you said that made things so chilly in the first place."

With that, Jack left, shutting the door behind him. Mike knew Jack well enough to know that the DA knew exactly what was said that day in the very office he was occupying. And he knew that Jack's recommendation to fix things wasn't really a recommendation at all.

Mike picked up his BlackBerry, twirling it in his hand a few times before scrolling through the address book and finding Lupo's cell number.

"Cutter, what a surprise," he head the detective drawl as a greeting. "Don't worry, if this case…"

"I'm not worried," Mike cut in, he didn't need Lupo making it harder than it already was. "I know you're on a case so I'll make it short. You and me… we need to talk. So what do you say we do it over a beer?"

Silence. "Make it coffee and you've got a deal."

"Fine, coffee it is. I'll give you a call later when I figure out when I'm getting out of here," Mike said.

"Leads are slow on this one, so I'm sure it won't be a problem for me."

Once the End button was pressed, Mike set the BlackBerry down on the file folder he'd been trying to read and leaned back. Put him in front of a judge, jury and opposing council, he was fine. But something resembling a heat-to-heart or that might require an apology? This talk was definitely going to be outside of his comfort zone. But Jack was right- things were chilly. And he needed to repair the relationship with the detective, if only for professional reasons. But it wasn't just professional, and Mike was acutely aware of that.

Even though he had work to do, this talk with Lupo dominated his thoughts. He wasn't quite sure why he was so nervous, besides the fact that Lupo carried a gun and wasn't happy with him. He sighed, and closed the file folder. He wasn't getting anything accomplished by sitting there brooding, he needed to clear his head.

It was a short walk, and when he returned the office with courage mustered, he grabbed his things, tossed a casual 'good night' to Connie and Jack, and headed to the 2-7. On the way he realized that he should give Lupo a heads-up that he was coming, but never did. Faster than he realized, he was strolling through the squad room to the pair of desks that the detectives occupied.

"We got company," he heard Bernard note, the younger detective looking up at him.

Mike stood a few feet away and watched as Lupo slowly turned around. There was nothing hostile recognizable on the senior detective's face, but there was nothing overtly friendly either. Lupo's face was barren of emotion, and the only clues were in Lupo's eyes, which were narrowed and hard to read.

"I know I should've called…" Mike began, feigning a sense of confidence that he obviously didn't feel.

"No sweat, we basically just got kicked out," Lupo said. "No leads to follow now and she said something about catching up on sleep."

Mike nodded knowingly. "You know the area better than I do, your call."

Lupo turned for a second, and Mike noticed Bernard nod slightly. Then Lupo picked up a few things, grabbed his coat and stepped away from his desk.

"It's a few blocks from here, but the weather seems nice enough. And I've been cooped up in here all day."

They made small talk on the way, nothing about Lupo's case or what Mike was working on. They came to a plain-looking diner, the type of place that Mike Cutter wouldn't normally frequent.

"Decent food, but the coffee's reliably not bad," Lupo said with a tired smile.

"Not exactly a ringing endorsement," Mike commented, looking around.

"Have you ever drank the coffee at the station?" Lupo asked. "Not bad is wonderful, comparatively."

"I haven't had the pleasure of the coffee at your place, but if it's anything like at my office… I understand."

They found a table that offered little in the way of privacy, but neither man cared. This was the type of place where people came and went all the time, and anonymity was almost a guarantee. It wasn't until their food order was received that "The Talk" came. So as Lupo ate his pastrami sandwich, Mike could only pick at his turkey sandwich.

"Will you stop that?" Lupo asked with an air of impatience. "Just eat it already, and put it out of its misery."

Mike had opened his mouth to make a smart retort, but snapped his mouth shut when he saw the tired, but amused expression on Lupo's face.

"I'm really no good at this," Mike admitted, not knowing what else to say.

"At eating?"

Mike looked up from his plate to meet Lupo's eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," Lupo sighed. "I do, and neither am I."

An uncomfortable silence engulfed the table, both men deciding that their sandwiches were suddenly quite fascinating.

"You know, I was a bastard that day," Mike said, and Lupo looked up at him.

"Oh yeah? I hadn't noticed."

Mike snorted. "The fact that you were about to punch me says otherwise."

"Thank Bernard for that," Lupo replied. "But I wasn't going to punch you, though the thought did cross my mind."

Mike leaned back, his hands fiddling with his napkin. "That damn lawyer was beating me up at every turn. He was getting away with murder, and that smug… He knew it."

"I didn't quite help matters," Lupo admitted with a shrug. "I don't know… I just knew we needed the info and found a way to get it."

"Still, I didn't need to, as Jack put it, ream you out."

"McCoy said something?"

"Well, I think I earned it with the trio of 'reaming you out', screeching at opposing council and the small matter of a contempt citation. Yeah, Jack said something."

"Screeching? I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it. It was not one of my finer days."

"Yeah, well… Worked out in the end, I guess."

"Yeah," Mike agreed thoughtfully. "Had a decent ending. Imaging what those crime scene photos would've looked like in the men's room…"

Mike shuddered at the thought, then looked Lupo in the eye. "Never really did say thank you for that, so… Thank you. For saving my life."

"Just doing our job," Lupo replied, clearly uncomfortable with the gratitude.

But Mike wasn't going to let it go. He had something to make up for. "It was more than that. You knew, didn't you? That he was going to do something?"

"He had that habit. Plus, there was just something shifty about him following you… the way he was walking… Yeah, we knew."

The waitress interrupted them with more coffee, humming as she walked away. Once both had their coffees dressed to their liking, Mike picked his up.

"Here's to finally getting him in the end," Mike said, then quickly added, "And avoiding embarrassing crime scene photos."

That brought a smile to Lupo's face, "Here, here."

They parted ways not long after, each going to their respective apartments. And the next time they had to work together, that distinctive chill in the air was replaced by a warmer, more comfortable atmosphere. 


	3. Playing House

**TITLE:** Playing House  
**PROMPT:** 053. Home  
**RATING:** T  
**WORD COUNT: **501  
**SUMMARY:** Lupo and Rubirosa talk before the sting.  
**WARNINGS:** none  
**NOTES:** Missing scene from 18x07 "Quit Claim"  
**DISCLAIMER:** Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.

---

"I don't know about this…" Connie said, sitting in the passenger seat with Cyrus driving.

"It's a little late for cold feet, we're already married," Cyrus cheekily replied, flashing his "wedding" ring.

Connie rolled her eyes with a smile and looked out the window. "I thought we could've at least afforded a better neighborhood."

"Hey, I'm unemployed, remember?"

Connie laughed. "Apparently you weren't when we bought the house."

Cyrus shot her a wounded look, then said, "And what is your job again? But hey, I'll understand if you want to leave me for Cutter. I'm sure he can afford a bigger house."

"Me and Mike under the same roof? You and Bernard would be there inside of a week, and I don't mean for the housewarming party."

Cyrus laughed, looking at Connie with a warm smile. Connie smiled back, because she usually didn't get to see the detective so relaxed and… happy. She knew it was a fleeting moment, but it was a good one. They arrived at the house in time to add a few personal touches that would make it more believable, including a strudel cake on the kitchen table, then went about getting changed. They met back up in the living room, where they sat together on the couch to talk about the sting.

"So, we're married and…" Connie began.

"And we'll have to act like it," Cyrus finished with a grin.

"Behave yourself."

With his hand over his heart, Cyrus replied, "I promise to be a perfect gentleman."

"I don't doubt it for a moment," Connie said, looking at her watch. "Any minute now."

"Don't be nervous. Anxious is okay in light of the fact that we're facing foreclosure and desperately need a way out."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Not at all," Cyrus answered, to which Connie only looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Ok, a little. Aren't you?"

The doorbell interrupted the banter, with Cyrus on his feet first. Connie stood, stopping him for a moment by grabbing his hand.

"I was until now," she said.

He squeezed her hand gently, replying, "It'll be alright."

Connie stood back as Cyrus went and opened the door. The man on the other side looked like a regular sales man making a house call. She showed him into the kitchen, noticing how he only took a cursory look around area before sitting down.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Connie asked after the introductions were done.

"Water, please," Langdon answered.

"Thank you for coming," Cyrus said, "It's been…difficult… around here lately. We weren't sure what we going to do next."

Connie set a glass down by Langdon. "Thank you," he replied, looking up at Connie, who only smiled slightly before heading back into the kitchen."

"It's been hard for a lot of people. The economic crisis has hurt a lot of good people. I'm just trying to do what I can to help," Langdon said, opening his satchel. "I don't know how much Miss Brody told you…"


	4. Behind the Shades

**TITLE:** Behind the Shades  
**PROMPT:** 56. Together  
**RATING:** T  
**WORD COUNT: ** 685  
**SUMMARY:** Missing scene. The conversation between Lupo and Van Buren that we didn't see in the episode.  
**WARNINGS:** none.  
**NOTES:** Spoilers for 20x03 "Just a Girl in the World" For ScarletAngelww, who wanted to know what was said.  
**DISCLAIMER:** Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.  
---

Lupo knew he was in for it. The second the lieutenant asked about the nightie, he knew he wasn't going to get out of it gracefully. But he'd screwed up, and he had to do what he told Jim Anderson- he had to come clean.

Van Buren had her eyes locked on Lupo when she said, "Detective Bernard, out."

Lupo could barely look at the lieutenant. His eyes shifted all over, including a look through the glass of the closed door at his partner before Van Buren shut the blinds. And Lupo was disappointed, but not surprised, to find any signs of support missing from Bernard's face. He slowly turned around to find the lieutenant watching him, leaning against her desk with her arms folded across her chest.

"Tea? She just invited you in for tea?"

"She… wanted more. Yes, I stayed the night. No, we didn't…" Lupo trailed off uncomfortably.

Van Buren didn't say anything immediately, and Lupo was slowly withering under her harsh gaze. Apparently the fact that he was already feeling guilty and more than a bit dumb was lost on her. Or at least that was what he thought, though he recognized he wasn't going to win any sympathy points either.

"Tell me exactly what happened," she finally ordered. "Just in case I need to inform the DA of any 'surprises' that may come up during a trial."

"We talked a bit, there was tea… we kissed. I'd gone into the bathroom to wash up. I'd gone looking for a towel in the linen closet and that's when I saw the nightie. Same style, same size. I came out, didn't say anything. Got into bed…"

"With her?"

Staring at the wall behind the lieutenant, Lupo slowly nodded. "We didn't… we just shared a bed. Got up, got dressed, came here."

Van Buren only hummed a bit before standing up and going to sit behind her desk. Then she looked up at Lupo and said, "This isn't something we can just ignore. You've breached protocol, misconduct, put your own career and that of Detective Bernard's at risk… Most of all you've jeopardized a murder case. I'll have to talk to the Chief of Detectives about the situation and what will happen next. But you can help yourself…"

"How?" Lupo asked, looking directly at the lieutenant for the first time since the conversation had begun.

"I agree that Emma may be hiding more than that nightie. You go over there, tell her you've been suspended, which may not be wholly untrue by the time this is over, and get her to talk to you more about Anderson and her involvement with him. Confession may be good for the soul, but getting her to confess would be good for your job."

He debated for a second, but trusted his instincts about Emma in the end. He nodded his consent, and waited to be dismissed.

"Good," she said, and then his hopes were dashed. "If you make it out of this relatively unscathed, I wouldn't go doing something like this again."

"I won't, ma'am," Lupo replied.

She studied him for a moment before saying, "I know. You're not a dumb guy, detective. I guess I'm just wondering how this happened to begin with."

"I've been wondering the same thing," he sighed, leaning against the wall.

"Figuring it out may help make sure it doesn't happen again," she said, and Lupo knew it wasn't a suggestion. "Get Bernard, we'll need to go over the plan for tonight."

Lupo took a deep breath as he opened the door. He'd barely taken two steps when he saw Bernard lift his head and watch him approach. The gaze was cool, but not frigid. Lupo took that as a good sign.

"She wants us in her office," was all Lupo said before turning to head back.

"Oh no you don't. Not that easily," Bernard said, stopping Lupo in his tracks.

"It'll have to wait. We've got plans for tonight," Lupo said, and Bernard narrowed his eyes.

Bernard grudgingly followed Lupo, and together with the lieutenant, came up with a plan.


	5. Pastrami and a Revolver, to go

**Title**: Pastrami and a Revolver, to go.

**Prompt**: 097. Gun

**Rating**: T

**Word Count**: 624

**Warnings**: None

**Summary**: The detectives go into a diner for a sandwich, and get more than they asked for.

**Disclaimer**: Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.

"Gun!" Bernard called, an a second later saw only him, Lupo and the man with the weapon still standing. Everyone else was on the floor, underneath tables when possible.

Both detectives had their weapons drawn, their hands steady. The unidentified man had his gun pointed at Lupo, but his shaking hands sometimes had the weapon pointing to Lupo's side where no one stood.

"Look, whatever the problem is, we can talk about it. But first, put the gun down," Lupo said slowly.

"N-no," the older man stammered. "I h-have to d-do this."

"Why?" Lupo asked, "Why do you have to do this?"

"If I d-don't, then she'll l-leave. She wants a ring."

"A ring? You've gotta be kidding me," Bernard muttered, and Lupo only rolled his eyes in response.

The air was thick, and for a while the only sounds were weeping and muffled sobbing. Not long after that, the sound of sirens grew louder with each passing second. The sirens didn't stop until a pair of squad cars pulled up in front of the diner, the officers getting out and looking through the window at the scene inside the diner. The man watched the officers, and Lupo watched the man. Taking the opportunity granted him, he slid his gun into his holster, and took out his badge. Waving it at the officers outside, he pointed to himself and Bernard, who still had his gun and his attention on the armed man.

"I-in and out…easy," the man said, "Wrong."

Lupo knew the tension had just gotten ratcheted up, and saw the man's hands shaking even more. Instead of taking his gun back out, he held his hands up.

"Tell me about her," he said, taking a tentative step forward.

Lupo vaguely heard Bernard protest, but waved him off with a slight twitch of his hand. The man only threw Lupo a glance before starting to look around nervously.

"Look at me," Lupo ordered, the tone impossible to ignore.

The man did so, taking an involuntary step back. Lupo didn't move, and for a moment, all was still.

"Tell me about her," Lupo repeated, his voice kinder. "She must be special."

"Her name's Cara. She's beautiful- long brown hair, green eyes. She's a CPA…"

"Must be really smart," Lupo threw in when the man trailed off.

"Really smart. Funny too. Perfect in every way."

"Would she want you to do this just to buy her a ring?" Lupo dared when he saw the man turning his attention back to the window.

"No… she'll be pissed. I was just supposed to be in and out fast."

"What do you say we end this without making things any worse than they already are?" Lupo suggested.

The man slowly nodded, and Lupo closed the distance. Without any resistance, Lupo had the revolver in his hand. Lupo immediately passed the weapon to Bernard, who secured it while Lupo spun the man around and cuffed him.

Once the scene was calm again, the man taken away in one of the squad cars and the other people in the diner safely on their way home, the two detectives stood outside with coffees, leaning against the car.

"You're nuts, you know that," Bernard said, breaking the comfortable silence.

Lupo snorted. "You just figure that out? I can't be that nuts anyway. The department shrink would never let me on duty if I was."

"There's that," Bernard agreed.

"What do you say we try another diner? I still want a pastrami sandwich."

Laughter was the only thing that followed. Bernard got behind the wheel of the car, while Lupo stretched his legs in the passenger seat. And the two detectives went on to find another one of the city's infinite number of diners.


	6. Stories to Tell

**TITLE:** Stories to Tell  
**PROMPT:** 059. Death  
**RATING:** T  
**WORD COUNT: **850  
**SUMMARY:** Missing scene for 20x13 "Steel-Eyed Death". They'd been partners for quite a while, but did he trust Bernard enough with this?  
**WARNINGS:**  
**NOTES:** Spoilers for 20x13 "Steel-Eyed Death"  
**DISCLAIMER:** Law & Order and all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I'm just playing nicely. I promise to put Lupes back where he belongs when I'm done.

The second he realized who the lawyer was, he knew he was in trouble. He knew what she'd ask, what he didn't want to think about, let alone talk about. He watched her walk away, and then he ran back up the steps to find Mike Cutter.

But the conversation didn't go as well as he'd hoped, though he knew it was a false hope anyway. He knew Mike was confused by his request, and maybe he should've explained, but Cyrus wasn't about tell Mike. He didn't quite trust the EADA that much.

After court was dinner, which was a quiet affair for both detectives. They talked about the weather a bit, sports mostly, and the rest of the time was filled with an emptiness that made Kevin unsettled and that Cyrus didn't seem to notice. But Kevin was patient, and he waited for Cyrus to tell him what was going on. But it didn't happen over dinner, and the longer the car ride lasted, the more Kevin realized his partner wasn't just going to tell him without prompting.

He wasn't surprised by the quick "See you tomorrow" as Cyrus stopped in front of his building. Kevin wasn't about to let it go, and he knew how to get the story out of the troubled detective.

"That lawyer knows me from an old case," Cyrus supplied, but added no other details. _Don't go there, don't go there_ kept repeating in Cyrus' mind.

"And?" Kevin quickly prompted. He understood the "pulling teeth" phrase all too well.

Kevin could see the turmoil in Cyrus' eyes, questioning and contemplating.

"It was 10 years ago…"

And as Cyrus told his story, Kevin could only listen. There wasn't much for him to say, no wise words or anything comforting came to mind. So he listened, interjected when appropriate, and when Cyrus was finished, made his offer to be in court the following day. And after the fist bump, Kevin went up to his apartment to sort through what he'd heard, while Cyrus went home to avoid thinking about the next day.

The truth shall set you free. Cyrus snorted when that thought popped into his head as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He was soon in bed, but sleep eluded him. He stared through the darkness at the ceiling, worrying about the follow day's testimony and the questions that would come. Knowing that his partner knew the story was little comfort to Cyrus, but having someone to tell it to would make it easier. Didn't mean he wanted to go there, but if he had to…

He knew he could blow apart the PTSD defense. Tell his story, how he learned to cope, and it would undermine the defense's case. It would help make sure a killer went to prison, would help make Cutter's case easier (not really a factor), and prove that he wasn't the same person as he was back then. Sleep eventually came, and morning followed not long after.

Time of truth came, and Cyrus went unwillingly into the court room. On the stand, he did well with the questions related to the crime scene. But he knew what was coming, and it didn't take long. Cyrus was relieved to see Mike jump from his chair with an objection, but the condescending tone of her past couple questions made up Cyrus' mind.

He didn't look at her when he started telling his story. He looked at the floor, at the DA's table (but not at either Cutter or Rubirosa), anything non-human, so as to make it seem less real than it was. He didn't look at her until he brought up the husband and the fact that she was his lawyer, and then Cyrus saw Kevin in the back.

"…problems manifested themselves?" he'd barely heard her ask, getting lost in the memories.

Cyrus looked away from her, and to his partner, who only nodded. Focus returned, Cyrus answered the question. The only person he'd look at was Kevin, though Mike's uncomfortable shifting at the DA's table got his attention for a second.

He couldn't stop the few tears that fell, and tried to wipe them away as quickly as possible. At the end, he wasn't sure if he helped or hurt Mike's case, but it was too late then. He was grateful when she said she had no further questions, and then was immediately dismayed when Mike stood up.

But from the first question, he knew what Mike was up to. He was relieved to be off the stand once Mike was finished, and he was the first out the courtroom at the end. With a deep breath, and Kevin's hand on his shoulder, Cyrus felt a little better, but still emotionally drained.

They met up with Mike and Connie, and neither looked at all unhappy to see him. And he could see that he did indeed help their case, while helping himself as well.

That night, when the call of a fresh crime scene came in, Cyrus headed into the building knowing just how much he could trust Kevin.


End file.
